WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Justin Patrick, Elsa Young

Since 2016, the biennial Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) talent search has unearthed the hottest emerging designers in the country, offering a coveted business-accelerator opportunity. The last decade has seen the best young local talent share their designs for lights, patterns, benches, and servers, which have been featured in Nando’s restaurants worldwide.

For the sixth edition of Nando’s HYD, entrants have been set the challenge of designing a striking ‘linear light’ (think directional lighting hung above a long table or counter).

For Nando’s HYD, the aim is to design a linear light that will shine in any Nando’s restaurant, anywhere in the world. Sculptural and crafted elements could introduce texture and colour, while combinations of materials create unique and interesting pieces that contribute to the overall design of the restaurant interior. Handmade details, created in collaboration with crafters, could be important aspects of the concept. Installation and longevity are vital; demonstrating how the piece – which should be no longer than 1.4 m and weigh under 28 kg – will be transported and installed will add value.

For the 2026 edition, the Nando’s HYD business-accelerator opportunity will unfold in three phases:

• Application phase: aspiring designer-makers submit their entries.
• Shortlist phase: finalists are chosen to develop prototypes of their designs.
• Final stage: a winning designer-maker will be selected and will receive a programme of tailored support, which will include mentorship, market access, showcasing opportunities, and community engagement with South Africa’s premier designer-makers.

Nando’s HYD is the centrepiece of the Nando’s Design Programme and, over the years, has propelled numerous local design careers, including those of Thabisa Mjo of Mash T. Design, Siviwe Jali, and Nindya Bucktowar and Nikhil Tricam of Studio Kalki.

The talent search is managed on behalf of Nando’s by Clout/SA – a business-to-business market maker that celebrates the vision and vitality of South African design. “At Clout/SA, we celebrate the creative pulse of South African design by sharing our curated collections of furniture, lighting, and decor with clients and collaborators around the world,” says Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of Clout/SA.

Entries close on 16 June 2026. hotyoungdesigner.com | @nandos_hyd

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The women of South Africa’s design industry stand as beacons of creativity and vision, constantly redefining the landscape with their innovative ideas.

This Women’s Month, Decorex Joburg and 100% Design Africa celebrate the incredible contributions of women in design. “Our country’s rich cultural diversity should be reflected in its design industry, and championing women ensures this is accurately and fully represented,” comments Bielle Bellingham, Decorex Africa Executive Creative Director. “Often, women design with a focus on community and social impact, leading to projects that benefit society as a whole. By supporting their work, we foster a more inclusive and forward-thinking industry.”

The participants in these two shows, including engineers, architects, interior decorators, ceramicists, furniture designers, and textile artists, showcase remarkable expertise across diverse fields, emphasising the need to recognise their exceptional contributions.

Lexus ‘Making Luxury Personal’ Spaces

For the Lexus ‘Making Luxury Personal’ spaces, respected South African designers Anna Correia, Kgomotso Malope of MoTSO DeSIGNED and Sihan Wiid of Mink Interiors will create feature spaces informed by the latest Lexus car models, demonstrating how to capture the personality of luxury cars in interior design.

Plascon Colour Design Pods

Living Inspired Interiors, founded by Tanya Solomon, will create a room set inspired by Plascon palettes. The Plascon Colour Design Pods aim to push designers to explore and showcase the diverse and dynamic possibilities of colour using the Plascon Colour Forecast for 2024.

100% Design Africa

This year’s edition of 100% Design Africa will host an unparalleled display of product design, furniture, decor, lighting and art. Kalki Ceramics, co-founded by multi-disciplinary artist Nindya Bucktowar and her partner Nikhil Tricam, will be at the showcase. Kalki was the winner of the annual Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search in 2022. 

Former Design Indaba Emerging Creatives and sisters Viveka and Rucita Vassen of Ananta Design Studio will also be showcasing their unique beaded lighting and decor pieces.

Local surface brand Infinity Surfaces will be displaying an exciting collaboration with four visionary local designers, including Mpho Vackier of multi-disciplinary furniture and product design company TheUrbanative, and Tanisha Neill of Cape Town-based furniture design studio N I S H. 

Design brand Coote and Wench, founded by Storm Coote and her husband Philip, will be returning to 100% Design Africa with its unique range of upcycled lighting, handmade furniture and home accessories.

Ashlee Lloyd of the internationally acclaimed lighting design studio Studio Lloyd will stage a designer room set at 100% Design Africa. The studio’s impressive catalogue of functional art pieces has been featured in British Vogue, VISI and Dezeen, among others.

100% Hospitality by Belgotex

Named earlier in 2024 as the ‘Women Shaping the Future of Sustainable Hotel Design’ by Condé Nast Traveller, Megan Hesse and Andrea Kleinloog of HesseKleinloog Studio and Anatomy Design will demonstrate their industry brilliance at 100% Hospitality by Belgotex, an exclusive exhibition showcasing the future of luxury hospitality design.

100% Design Africa Café

The 100% Design Africa Café, located in the centre of the 100% Design Africa hall on Level 2 of the convention centre, is designed by Wolkberg Casting Studio. Wolkberg, a proudly African industrial design studio, was co-founded by creative entrepreneur Ramielle de Jager – a regular Future Talks contributor – who has established a name for herself as a leading product innovator in the industry. 

Future Talks

Future Talks’ dynamic hosts for 2024 include creative multi-hyphenate and the co-founder of interior design studio MOEA Design, Cassandra Twala, creative director Jana Hamman, Andrea Kleinloog and spatial design educator and interior architect Audrey Nanjala. 

Decorex Joburg

Experience this active shift towards impact design for yourself and join the designers and creatives paving the way to the future at Decorex Joburg (1 to 4 August 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre). | decorex.co.za

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The 2022 Nando’s Hot Young Designer winners, Kalki Ceramics, showcase a new range of fynbos-inspired furniture pieces at 100% Design Africa by Clout/SA.

Kalki Ceramics’ winning server will be on display with an expanded range of fynbos-inspired functional art pieces. This is just one of Clout/SA’s three incredible curated exhibitions for 100% Design Africa, which is collocated with Design Joburg and takes place alongside Decorex Joburg at the Sandton Convention Centre from 3-6 August 2023.

The Durban-based design studio, founded by Nindya Bucktowar and Nikhil Tricam, specialises in carefully crafted and curated bespoke ceramic tiles that gain inspiration from the local indigenous flora of South Africa.

Tricam and Bucktowar received the title of overall winner of the 2022 edition of the talent search competition, which saw designers from across South Africa conceptualising a condiment unit to showcase Nando’s much-loved sauces. Chosen from over 120 entries by a panel of 17 local and global industry judges, part of their prize, was the creation of their concept using Kalki’s signature handmade ceramic tiles.

Expect to see Kalki’s creative masterpiece at 100% Design Africa alongside an expanded range of fynbos-inspired functional art pieces. The range presented will include a table and benches tiled in shades of green reminiscent of local flora, lights, wall tiles and a coffee table.

Just one facet of Clout/SA’s exciting trio of curated stands, Level 2 of the Sandton Convention Centre also showcases SOL’s ‘Live from the Sunny Side’ campaign. This is an all-new collection of South African designs created for the global beer brand. The third Clout/SA stand will feature a collaboration with the Keiskamma Art Project (KAP), featuring a new range of printed wallpapers and fabrics expressing KAP’s unique embroidery style. 

Forming part of Clout/SA’s larger portfolio, Clout/SA continues to promote South African designers and local talent to a broader audience. 

One entry ticket grants access to all three shows – 100% Design Africa, Design Joburg and Decorex Joburg – which will take place across four levels of the Sandton Convention Centre on 3-6 August. For more information and ticket sales, click here.

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Design duo Nikhil Tricam and Nindya Bucktowar, have been named as the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search 2022 winners.

After an intensive judging process, the winners of the Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) Talent Search were revealed on 26 October at the Basha Uhuru youth festival at Con Hill, Johannesburg. Winners Nikhil Tricam and Nindya Bucktowar are the powerhouse design duo behind Kalki Ceramics, a design studio based in Durban specialising in bespoke handcrafted ceramic tiles.

For their winning entry, they looked to South African flora and desert landscapes for inspiration. Their Cactus Server draws on the duo’s combined experience in ceramics, product design and architecture to create a rich and textural functional art piece.

READ MORE: Nando’s HYD Announces Top 10 Finalists for 2022

“Utilizing Kalki Ceramics tiles in unique glazes reminiscent of fynbos, succulents and flowers endemic to South Africa, the Cactus Server blends contemporary form with organic materials and motifs to create a uniquely South African design,” says Nikhil.

The Cactus Server was chosen from over 120 entries into the fourth iteration of the Nando’s HYD competition, which saw young designers from across the nation answer the call to conceptualise a condiment unit to display the brand’s acclaimed Peri Peri sauces.

Being named as winners of the Nando’s HYD 2022 will open up new business opportunities for Kalki Ceramics including having the design brand’s piece prototyped and included on the Nando’s Portal to Africa, an online ordering and purchasing platform utilised by interior design studios locally and globally to source South African designer items to include in Nando’s restaurants around the world. The winners will also receive ongoing mentorship and development support from the Clout/SA team designed to help fast-track their progress in the industry.

For more information on Nando’s HYD 2022, visit clout-sadesign.co.za/.

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The Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search (HYD) plays a key role in this ongoing industry development by functioning as launching pad for fresh young talent.  The popular competition, which is facilitated by Clout/SA, has just announced its much-awaited list of 10 finalists for 2022.

This year HYD tasked young designers with conceptualising a condiment unit to display the brand’s acclaimed Peri Peri sauces. The challenge was to do so in such a way that these sauces and their piquant ingredients, which form an intrinsic part of the Nando’s experience, remain visible and accessible to customers throughout their visit.

The finalists were chosen by a prestigious panel of local and global industry judges, including VISI’s editor, Steve Smith. The judging panel included:

• Steve Smith, Editor of VISI Magazine
• Thabisa Mjo of Mash T Design Studio, co-winner of Nando’s Hot Young Designer 2016 and 100% Design Designer of the Year 2022
• Ngaire Blankenberg, Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
• Karen Brumfield, Head of Buying at @home
• Nokuzola Jenness, Programme Manager of Yellowwoods Ventures Investments and Managing Executive of Clout/SA
• Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of Clout/SA and the Nando’s Design Programme
• Alan Hayward, Director of Always Welcome
• Garreth van Niekerk, Director of Always Welcome
• Rob Enthoven, Nando’s Shareholder
• Stephen du Plessis, Nando’s Group Head of Design and Development
• Michael Spinks, Nando’s Property and Development Director
• Kaira Bertrand, Nando’s Project Manager
• Brad O’Neill, Nando’s Head of Design and Development
• Dale Roberts, Nando’s Group Design Project Manager, UK.
• Scott Hamilton, Nando’s Chief Development Officer, Australia
• Sophie Douglas, Director of Fusion Design and Architecture, UK
• Paul Thrush, Co-Founder and Director of STAC Architecture, UK

The competition received 134 entries from across the country, making the judging process a tough call for the adjudication panel. A shortlist of 20 entries was created from the initial submissions an finally a top 10 was chosen .

The 2022 HYD Top 10:

1. Nikhil Tricam and Nindya Bucktowar
2.  Lindelani Hlophe
3. Thabiso Nkonyeni
4. Siyanda Magaba
5. Daphne Lephoto
6. Minenhle Zazi Cira
7. Makhi Mtati
8. Ryan Pinches
9. Mbali Maseko
10. Nomonde Dubazane

All top 10 finalists will be invited to a mentorship session hosted by Clout/SA in October 2022. They will then be linked to various mentorship opportunities and could potentially see their design prototyped. The overall winner of the HYD will be announced at the mentorship event which will form part of this year’s Basha Uhuru youth festival at Con Hill.

For more information, visit clout-sadesign.co.za/.

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Nando’s has announced its call for entries for the fourth Hot Young Designer (HYD) Talent Search – and this year’s design brief is for condiment units which will display the brand’s famous Peri Peri sauces.

Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) talent search is bringing the heat for the 2022 edition of this compelling competition. This face-off seeks to unearth saucy new designs for Nando’s restaurants around the world, and fire up the careers of emerging local creatives.

This year, entrants have been tasked with designing a condiment unit which will display the brand’s famous Peri Peri sauces. The challenge is to highlight these sauces, which form an intrinsic part of the Nando’s experience, through designs all while ensuring that they remain visible and accessible to customers throughout their visit.  

The Nando’s HYD talent search is managed on behalf of Nando’s by Clout/SA. Clout/SA is a creative agency and business-to-business market-maker for South African design. The competition is sponsored by Nando’s. The end goal is to list the winning condiment unit on The Portal to Africa – Nando’s online marketplace where interior designers working on Nando’s restaurants around the world can shop for original pieces of furniture and lighting that are designed and manufactured in South Africa.

Past years called for lighting solutions, patterns and benches; and these prior competition rounds have seen their respective finalists and winners propelled into the limelight and mentored in all things related to creating a sustainable business. Thabisa Mjo (with her Tutu 2.0 pendant fitting) and Samantha Foaden (with her beaded Buhle Bulb) jointly in 2016; Agrippa Mncedisi Hlophe (with his vibrant, flowing pattern treatment) in 2018; and Katlego Tshuma (with his Sangu Bench inspired by the organic forms found in traditional African grass mats) in 2020 are previous winners that have gone on to evolve and grow within the discipline.

“The biennial Nando’s HYD competition is a highlight of the design sector’s calendar. Every two years we meet and get to know 10 finalists, and these 10 finalists are mentored by Clout/SA. They are then linked to opportunities within the Nando’s ecosystem such as prototyping, business mentorship and access to a global market to name a few highlights. Many of these designs – such as Thabisa Mjo’s Tutu 2.0 pendant – go on to become best-sellers on the Nando’s Portal to Africa, driving revenue to the designers’ start-up businesses, and helping grow this exciting sector through inclusive access to opportunities within the Nando’s global market. Nando’s HYD is about changing lives by making sure we utilise the platform we have to shine a light on creativity and opportunity!” enthuses Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of the Nando’s Design programme and Clout/SA.

Up-and-coming designers are challenged to bring their own “sauce” by entering vibrant, yet functional, conversation pieces, whose inspiration is rooted right here at home, on the African continent. 

To enter, visit clout-sadesign.co.za for the online entry form and entry details. Entries close on 31 May 2022.

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June 2021 marks the official launch of Clout SA – an innovative initiative that is taking South African design to the world.

While many members of the public will be finding out about Clout SA for the first time, the agency’s team has been hard at work building up to this moment for nearly seven years.

Clout SA is a purpose-first enterprise, creative agency, and business-to-business (B2B) market-maker for South African design, which aims to promote South Africa’s creativity, craftsmanship, heritage, as well as create opportunities for collaboration between designers and makers.

Much of that work was done on Clout SA’s founding project, the Nando’s Design Programme and eventually, the Nando’s Portal to Africa, an online shopping platform for designer furniture that has facilitated more than R60 million worth of sales across 20,900 products since it was launched in 2018, making it one of the country’s largest exporters of South African design. There are approximately 1 200 Nando’s restaurants located across the globe from Washington DC to Dhaka, and each space showcases bold, bespoke furniture items which are procured through the Portal to Africa.

As part of the Nando’s Design Programme, Clout SA has developed and facilitated one of South Africa’s top biennial design competitions, the Nando’s Hot Young Designer Talent Search, which has launched and supported tens of local design careers, including Mash T. design founder, Thabiso Mjo, one of the first winners of the competition in 2016.

At its core, Clout SA specialises in creating interior solutions for hospitality, retail, residential and corporate clients – its approach foregrounds a South African design narrative as a point of distinction. For the next phase of the enterprise’s work towards growing the South African design industry and turning South African design into a globally recognised category brand, Clout SA has invited corporate partners who share these values to join its mission by taking part in collaborations with its designer-maker partners.

As part of Decorex’s month long Cape Town Design Trail programme in June 2021, Clout SA will open an exhibition of South African art and design curated by Clout SA creative director Tracy Lee Lynch,  titled “Right here, Right Now!”. The exhibition will not only introduce Clout SA to the industry and invited members of the public, but also unveil a collaboration with HUB, a platform borne out of the Spier Arts Trust which has run the Spier Arts Academy since 2009, training artisans in the field of ceramics and mosaics, as well as supporting the development of visual artists.

The HUB platforms works to create collaborative commercial opportunities for artisans and artists. As part of the opening of Right here, Right Now!, from 21 June to 25 June 2021 at the home of HUB, the four-story iconic Union House building in Cape Town’s eastern district, Clout SA and HUB are inviting architectural and interior design professionals, corporate procurement agents and facilities managers, to join their mission to support, develop, invest in and build the future of South African design. The first three days of the exhibition will be opened to the above mentioned professionals, while the last two will be open to design learners and limited members of the public.

Looking for more design news? That a look at the Design Indaba Emerging Creatives 2021.

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Watch a round up of the 2020 Nando’s Hot Young Designer Finalists in this extensive video explaining their inspirations and processes.

In its third iteration, The Nando’s HYD competition had a plethora of entries from across South Africa, with the brief to design a bench that encourages social distancing and is adaptable for life after the pandemic.

Conceptual designer Katlego Tshuma was been announced as the winner of the 2020 Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) Talent Search, with his Sangu Bench.

Spearheaded by local design house CLOUT, there was a plethora of talented entrants to consider.

“Throughout the research and design of the bench, I kept true to the brief by creating areas that allow for two people to sit and still maintain social distancing,” explains Katlego. “I created isolated areas on a bench by incorporating the traditional mat as a divider and back support.”

Read more about the search in VISI 112 on page 144.

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The 2020 Nando’s Hot Young Designer (HYD) finalists have been announced, as part of the brand’s biannual search for up-and-coming talent.

The aim of the competition (in its third iteration) is to celebrate young creatives and provide a platform for them to showcase their designs and help launch their careers.

The brief for this year was to create a unique bench that adheres to the notion of social distancing, while being both aesthetically pleasing and inviting.

A panel of eight judges included Thabisa Mjo of Mash T Design Studio and Mpho Vackier of The Urbanative, who were jointly awarded Designer of the Year at the 2019 100% Design South Africa Awards; VISI Editor Steve Smith; VISI Editor-at-Large Annemarie Meintjies; Creative Director Tracy Lynch of Studio Leelynch and the Nando’s Design Programme; Editor Malibongwe Tyilo of the Nando’s Design Programme; Art Director Jo Skelton of the Nando’s Design Programme; and Michael Spinks, Property and Development Director for Nando’s.

This year’s submissions featured such a high standard of work that there was a tie for one of the places, while another entry came in from two jointly responsible designers, leaving the total number of finalists at 12, instead of the usual 10.

Below, in no particular order, are this year’s finalists:

• Anele Vezi
• Bebe Donnolly
• Christian Botha
• Darren Myburgh
• Jan de Wet & Jeanne Scholtz
• Katlego Tshuma
• Mimi Roberts
• Ngwako Matloha
• Sipho Twala
• Siviwe Jali
• Thando Nxelewa

The overall winner will be announced at Constitution Hill after the finalists attend a mentorship event in November 2020, where leading designers will share their tips, skills and insights.

For more information, visit clout-sadesign.co.za.

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Nando’s has announced its call for entries for the third Hot Young Designer Talent Search – and this year’s design brief is for restaurant waiting benches.

The first two competitions focused on pendant light fittings and pattern designs, and 2020’s theme takes into consideration COVID-19 and its impact on public places. “This year, as Nando’s looks at how restaurant design will change in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, we’re asking designers to examine the waiting benches [for takeaway orders] that you’ll find at every Nando’s restaurant,” explains Tracy Lynch, Creative Director of the Nando’s Design Programme.

Bench by Sifiso Shange.

“We’re asking what these benches should look like in the age of social distancing, and whether they can be easily adapted once we can safely sit together once again. We’re calling on all aspiring furniture designers to design a show-stopping bench, a reminder of the resilience of the African spirit, and a celebration of Southern Africa’s ever-evolving and eclectic design aesthetic.”

Bench by David Krynauw.

The winning bench design will be prototyped and manufactured for Nando’s restaurants, as well as possible inclusion on the Nando’s Portal to Africa (read more about the platform here and how it’s championing local design), which enables exposure to a global market, and its designer will be offered a year-long mentorship from Nando’s Design Team and partners.

Bench by Neil Grantham.

A previous Hot Young Designer (HYD) winner includes Thabisa Mjo, whose winning pendant, the Tutu 2.0 Light, went on to be named as Design Indaba’s Most Beautiful Object in SA in 2018.

To find out more and submit your designs, visit the Clout entry portal here. You may enter more than one design. Entries close on 11 August 2020. Stay up to date on HYD 2020 and other design news from Nando’s by following Clout on Instagram (@clout_sadesign).

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